Burial vault



Y Dot. 6, 1936. R. COHEN 2,056,419

v BURIAL VAULT Filed Nov. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Rm PHCom-7v.

ATTORNEYS 10d. 6, 1936. R COHEN 2,056,419

BURIAL VAULT Filed Nov. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tia- 5.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEBURIAL VAULT poration Application November 20, 1934, Serial No. 753,953

1 Claim.

The present invention appertains to the art of manufacture of gravevaults or enclosures of a similar nature, the primary objective in viewbeing to simplify and cheapen the cost of production of such vaults ascompared with a common method at present in vogue. This common methodinvolves the making of the vault or enclosure body in three pieces,namely, a central body blank which is bent to provide the sides and top,and two-end blanks which are caused to abut at their upper and sideedges with the end edges of the sides and top of the body blank andwelded at these portions.

Under practical conditions of manufacture, the said common methodnecessitates the provision of relatively long lines of continuouswelding at the meeting edges of the ends with the intermediate bodysection of the vault. The welding must be accurately done for thesevaults are required to be air and water-tight when completed and readyfor'use. The greater the welding areas or lines, the greater will be therust attacking area, moreover, unless some special provision is madetocoat the welded areastfor protection against rust.

Now in carrying out my invention, I contemplate the employment of asingle metal blank cut to shape so as to provide in one integralpiecevthe' top, sides and ends of the vault. The

ends form extensions of the flat metal blank made initially and fromwhich the single-piece vault will be built of conformed required shape.The entire vault of the present invention, so far as the formation ofthe ends and intermediate body is concerned, provides for theapplication of mere bending operations for the purpose of properlyuniting the ends with the intermediate body portion which comprises thesides and top.

By the construction employed according to the invention I am enabled toreduce the length of the welded areas or lines between the ends and topand sides of the vault substantially fifty per cent. The advantage ofsuch reduction in the welded area is obvious from the foregoing and theeconomies effected are likewise obvious.

My invention involves, furthermore, the peculiar cutting of the blank ofmetal from which the vault of the invention is made, said vault, ac-'cording to its preferred embodiment, comprising a base edge sealingflange carried by the lower edges of the sides and ends. Due to theprovision of this flange, a special formation of the metal blank fromwhich the integral one-piece vault is made, is required, so that theabutting edges of the ends and the sides at the base sealing 5 flangeportions will come together properly when the bending operation to turnthe end extensions to a position at right angles to the sides and top isperformed.

The preferred method of carrying out the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in reference to certain preferred adaptations ofthe invention, though it will be understood that the principles ofblanking out the metal and bending the same, for the purpose of forminga unitary one-piece vault or enclosure, may equally well be carried outin conjunction with certain specific shapes of vaults other than thoseparticularly presented by the drawings.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 shows in flat original condition thesingle metal blank from which a Vault according to one of the forms ofmy invention may be made.

Figure 2 is a view of the same blank as shown in Figure 1' after theblank has been subjected to pressure to draw into shape certain panelsthat will form the part of the final vault design.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view showing how the ends of thevault are bent to meeting contact at contiguous vertical edges, thevault being illustrated on its sides so that these normally verticaledges appear horizontal in the illustration.

Figure 4 is a view looking down upon a fragmentary end portion of thevault and showing how the end extensions from the sides of the mainblank are to be bent to bring them into alignment, the arrows showingthe direction of bending. This View also shows the manner of cutting outthe sealing flange portions of the base 40 edges of the sides and endsso they will properly abut when the ends are bent into their finalnormal relation to the sides. q

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an end portion of thevault as it appears when the end sections of the blank have been bent toform the end in proper relation to the sides and top.

Figure 6 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 5 but illustrating amodification of the invention wherein the top B slightly overlaps thetop edge of the end sections of each end portion or member, and whereinthe corners are provided with welded gusset plates at the base extensionor protuberance of the body.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line I'I of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of a corner portion of the main blank asit is cut out for making the vault of the type of Figure 6.

Figure 9 illustrates the inside view of the lower corner portion of thestructure of Figure 6 showing the gusset plate as seen finally placed inposition and welded adjacent the sealing flange.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one of the corner gusset plates.

illustration, the same consisting of a top section I, side sections 2,and end sections 3 at opposite ends of the side sections 2. "Ih'e'bending" lines at which the sides 2 project downwardly from the top areindicatedat 2a and the bending lines at which the end sections 3 projectfrom the sides 2 are indicated at 3a.

If it is desirable, according to the final design of the vault, that thesaid design embody the inset or protuberant panels such as 4 on thesides, and 5 at the ends, the full panels 4 will be formed by pressureand drawing of the metal of the original blank after said blank has beencut out in the manner shown in Figure, l, and the full panels for theends or" the vault will be pressed out in half-panel formation as shownat 5 in Figure 2, the half-panels comin'g together to make the fullpanels when the final bending operations are .completediand'the weldingoperation correspondsealing flanges e mounted to cooperate with a basewhich forms a bottom of the vault when it is finally closed with acasket therein and locked ready to be emplaced and buried inthe grave.

The "sealing flange 6 consists merely of an'orna-' vv,rnental flangesection projecting inwardly from the sides 2 and end sections 3 of theblank of Figure' 1, from which horizontal flange is bent upwardly avertical flange l.

The formation of these flanges on the bending lines 6a and "la, assho'wnin Figure 1, presents: certain difliculti'es in bringing the portions.of the the outeredges of the blank of Figure "1, said notches being cuton an incline through the area of the horizontal flange 6 and cut'onstraight lines through the area of the vertical flange If Thus when theend sections 3 of the blank are bent laterally to the side sections 2,as illustrated in Figure 4 by the direction arrows, the notches 8 willpermit the abutting portions of the flanges 6 and i at the bendingangles to come togetherat a proper angle when the parts 3 have beenflnally' bent in position at right angles to the parts 2.

the peculiarly curved edges 317 will conform with Thus when the topsection I is bent to the conformation of Figure 5,

the curvature of the top as it is finally pressed out or bent, and thesaid edges 3b will accurately fit or conform to the said curvature ofthe top, making necessary only the Welding operation to complete thejoinder between the end sections 3 themselves and between said endsections at their edges 31)- and the top portion of the vault. Figure 5illustrates at B the edge portions at each end of the vault, in respectto abutting edges of the end sections 3 and in respect to abutting edgesbetween the end sections 3 and the top I, at which the welding lineswill be made. In this same figure at C are designated the cornerportions at which the Welding lines. or areas are not required owing tothe peculiar manner of bending tithe-ends from the blank of metal fromwhich the Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, it is notable, that thebody of my vault is made from a single blank of metal which may bedivided into "areas i or sections as separated by; dotted. lines in.the;

ofthe portions of the sides and ends at the sealing channel formed, bythe flanges 6 and I, and, as shown in Figure 5 at D, the said welds mayextend an inch or two up the lines of the corner portions C.

In Figures 6 to 10 inclusive the modification of the invention followsgenerally the form of construction previously set 'forth, withcertain-detail exceptions now to be pointed out. In this form, as shownbest in Figure '7, the top 9'will be slightly'longeri in extent inreference to the section thereof in the original metal blank than thecorresponding portion I illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, in order that atthe end edges of said top portion 9 the same may be slightly rolled overthe outer side of the end sections ID to provide an abutment bead IIreally interlocking against the outer sides of the parts ID at theirupper edges. The welding line or area in this construction is shown atI2. Now in this modifled form the corners of the protuberant base I3 arespecially made by a cutting out of notches I4, as seen best in Figure 8,in respect to the original metal blank. The notched portion I4 extendsthe height of the protuberant portion I3 at the base of thev vault andalso through the area of the sealing portion comprising the flanges 6and I, previously mentioned;

The formation of the notches I4 permits the proper bending of the cornerportions of the base I3 of the vault of the type of Figure 6construction, and it is preferred, when the bending operation iscompleted, to insert in the notch portion I3, gusset plates I5 which arewelded in place after the manner illustrated by the inside corner viewof Figure 9. The lower triangular extremity I5a of the gusset plate I5occupies the space between the" notch cut-out portions of thehoriz'ontalfl ange' 6' in amanner that will be clearly apparent.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

Iri'b'urial vault construction, a vault body made from a single metalblank which in flat condition comprises a top section from which arebendable downwardly the side sections, said side sections havingextensions to provide end members, the facing edges of said extensionsat each end of the side sections being cut and shaped to conform withand abut accurately with the end edges'of the top section when the saidend members'are bent at right angles toward each other beneaththe topsection'so that the end edges of the end; members assumea verticalposition in substantial vertical contact with each other along a'medialvertical line for the end or the vault which comprises said endextensions when so bent, said structure affording a one-piece bendableunit with integral ends therefor, the side sections and the outermostportions of the end members of the blank of metal from which the vaultis made being provided with a protuberant base bent therefrom and formedat the lower edge portions of said parts with a sealing flangeconsisting of a horizontal flange projecting from the 10 side sectionsand end members, and a vertical flange projecting from said horizontalflange portions of the side sections and end members, the area of saidprotuberant base over that portion at the corners coincident with theheight of said protuberant base and coincident with the thickness of thehorizontal flange of the sealing member being cut out, and gusset plateinserts welded at said corner portions of the protuberant base to occupythe cut out areas aforesaid.

RALPH COHEN.

